Copying device for sewing-machine



July 14, 1959 w. N HL 2,894,468

COPYING DEVICE FOR SEWINGMAGHINE Filed April 10, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1July 14, 1959 1 V w, NOHL I 2,894,468

v COPYING DEVICE FOR SEWING-MACHINE Filed April 10, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet2 United This invention relates to a copying device for a sewingmachineadapted for embroidering, which device enables the operator to embroidera pattern, given in form of a drawing, a stencil or the like, on fabricor other suitable material without having firstly to transfer thepattern from the drawing or the like onto the material in order toembroider thereafter along the lines of the pattern transferred onto thematerial.

It is an object of the invention to provide a copying device for asewing-machine adapted for embroidering, comprising a base plate, saidbase plate having an aperture adapted to form a passage for thesewing-machine needle, a holder for the material to be embroidered, saidmaterial holder being arranged for slidable movement on said base plate,a guiding device adapted to impart translatory movement to said materialholder, said guiding device enclosing two sets of lever guides arrangedfor movement rectangular to each other in a plane parallel to the baseplate, one of said sets of lever guides being linked to the base plateand guiding an intermediate member, the other set of lever guides beinglinked to said intermediate member and to said material holder, atracing member connected with said material holder and adapted formanual tracing along lines of a pattern to be copied, a holder for apattern to be copied, said holderincluding a frame provided with slippreventing means on its underside and being adapted for elasticallypressing said pattern against said base plate, said base plate beingprovided with a graduated guide-rule for guiding said pattern.

Another object of the invention is to provide a copyingdevice for asewing-machine adapted for embroidering, comprising a base plate, saidbase plate having an aperture adapted to form a passage for thesewing-machine needle, a holder for the material to be embroidered, saidmaterial holder being arranged for slidable movement on said base plate,a guiding device adapted for moving said material holder parallel toitself, said guiding device including two sets of lever guides arrangedfor movement rectangular to each other in a plane parallel to the baseplate, one of said sets of lever guides being linked to fixed points andguiding an intermediate member, the other set of lever guides beinglinked to said intermediate member and'to said material holder, atracing member connected with said material holder and adapted formanual tracing along lines of a pattern to be copied, a supporting boardadapted to support a pattern to be copied, said supporting board beingspaced from said base plate and said guiding device being at leastpartially arranged between said base plate and said supporting board, aholder for said pattern to be copied, said holder including a frameprovided with slip preventing means on its underside and being adaptedand arranged for elastically pressing said pattern against saidsupporting board, said supporting board being provided with a graduatedguide-rule arranged forguiding said pattern.

A further object of the invention is to provide a copying device of thekind referred to wherein said material holder is formed as an embroideryframe and stop means :ttes Patet are provided for limiting themovementof said material holder so as to prevent the rim of said material holderfrom passing over the circumference of said aperture of said base plate,said stop means being formed by said tracing member and said frame, saidtracing member being arranged for movement of its point within saidframe, in each direction the interior diameter of said embroidery framebeing at least equal to the interior diameter of said frame which isarranged for being elastically pressed against said pattern, and saidaperture in said base plate is situated at least nearly in the centre ofsaid embroidery frame when the point of the tracing member is put in thecentre of said frame.

In a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention thelever guides are at least partially arranged in a space between the baseplate and a cover plate spaced from this base plate. In this manner, thelever guides are at least partially covered by said cover-plate and thematerial to be embroidered is prevented from being caught'by the leversof said lever guides. This cover plate performs also a supporting boardfor the drawing or the like to be copied, and the tracing member isconnected with the material holder by an arm which is inclined in itsoperational position relatively to the plane of the material holder inan obtuse angle. With this arrangement the material protruding from thematerial holder can rest on the arm of the tracing member which keepsthe material from interference with the parts of the lever guides thatare not covered by the cover plate. Thereby the movement of the guidingdevice in this region is prevented from being disturbed by the materialand the operator can easily observe the point of the material where theembroidery is being made.

In describing the invention reference will be made to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a top view to Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the deviceaccording to the invention,

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on line IVIV in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a top view of the device according to Fig. 3 with part of thecover plate broken away and with the arm of the tracing member removed.

The copying device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a base plate 1having an aperture 2. The material holder 3 is formed as an embroideryframe, arranged for sliding movement on the base plate. The guidingdevice consists of a first set of lever guides 4 and 5 pivotally mountedon the base plate and connected to a T-shaped intermediate member 6which is guided by these levers, and a second set of lever guides 7 and8 pivotally connected to the intermediate member 6 and guiding a member9 that carries the material holder 3. The members 6 and 9 are providedwith distance pieces 26, 27 enabling these members to sliclewith minimumfriction on the base plate 1. An arm 10 is rigidly but removablyconnected to the embroidery frame 3 by means of a knurled head screw 11,and a plate 12 held in position by pins 13. The other end of the arm 10is provided with a clamping sleeve 14 in which a tracing pin 15 may beinserted. For instance a pencil may serve as a tracing pin. On the baseplate 1 a frame 17 is provided which is pressed onto the base plate bymeans of elastic wires 18, 19. The wires 18, 19 are provided with eyes20, 21 which eyes are attached on the base plate by means of screws sothat the extending end parts 22 bear against the base plate 1. The endparts 22 as well as parts of the frame 17 are covered with rubber tubes.Below the base plate two walls 24, 25 are arranged to fix to copyingdevice upon the table of a sewing-machine, and the aperture 2 ispositioned so as to be at least nearly in the center of theembroideryframe 3 when the tracing pin is put in the center of the frame 17. It isadvantageous when the diameter of frame 17 is slightly smaller in eachdirection than the diameter of embroidery frame 3.

The guiding pin 15 is adjustable lengthwise, e.g. slidable in a clampingsleeve as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Alternatively the arm may be arrangedfor pivotal movement in a vertical plane, so that due to gravity theguiding pin is pressed upon the pattern which is to be copied orespecially into a groove of a guiding stencil, the pivotable arm 10should also be fixable so that the point of the tracing pin may bespaced from the surface of the pattern if a drawing 16 is used.

It is practical when the arm' carrying the guiding pin is arched andextends to a certain distance from the base plate so as to minimize thereduction in the field of vision. In order to reduce the space requiredby the complete device when it is not in use the arm is mounted in sucha manner that it can be removed.

The device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is used in the following manner.Thedevice is placed on the table of a sewing machine in such a positionthat the stitch point of the stitch plate of the sewing-machine issituated below the aperture 2. Walls 24, 25 serve as stop faces bearingon the edges of the table of the sewing-machine. The material, e.g. apiece of fabric 28, shown partially in Fig. 2, which material is to beembroidered according to a predetermined pattern is clamped in theembroidery frame 3, and the predetermined pattern, e.g. a drawing 16, ora guiding stencil or a piece of embroidered fabric, is clamped by thehoop 17 against the base plate 1. The sewing-machine is then operatedand simultaneously the point of the tracing pin 15 is guided by handalong the lines of the drawing or the grooves of the stencil or alongthe lines of the embroidered pattern on the fabric, according to thedesired embroidery to be made. The hoop 17 serves as a stop to limit themovements of the tracing pin, alternatively other movement limitingmeans, e.g. stops, may be provided that prevent the embroidery frame 3and other members of the device connected to that frame from enteringthe field of action of the sewing machine needle.

Large patterns exceeding the area of frame 17 may be embroidered insteps. For each of these steps both the material to be embroidered andthe pattern to be copied are displaced and fixed in correspondingpositions in the embroidery frame 3 and below the frame 17,respectively. In order to insure said corresponding positions, theembroidery frame may be set in such a position that the sewing-machineneedle is in alignment with a point on the periphery of an alreadyembroidered part on the material and thereafter the pattern is displaceduntil the tracing pin is in alignment with that point of the designcorresponding to said point of the already embroidered part. Thisprocedure has to be carried out also on another point of the alreadyembroidered part and the corresponding point of the design, therebyassuring that the pattern and the embroidered material have not beenrotated relatively to each other during the displacement so that theparts to be embroidered in several steps one after the other fit exactlytogether.

Another embodiment of the copying device according to the invention isshown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. This device includes a base plate 1 having anaperture 2 adapted to lie on the stitch plate of the sewing machine. Amaterial holder 3 formed as an embroidery frame is carried by thematerial clamped therein and lying slidably on the base plate. Theguiding device for said material holder 3 includes a first set of leverguides 4 and 5 pivotally mounted on the base plate for movement in aplane parallel thereto and connected to an annular intermediate member29 which is guided by these levers, and a second set of lever guides 7and 8 pivotally connected to the intermediate member 29 guiding thematerial holder in a plane parallel to the base plate. The two pivotpins 30 disposed diametrically to each other on the intermediate member29 are provided each with a mushroom distance piece 31 adapted to slideon the base plate. These distance pieces 31 may be made of plastic suchas nylon.

A cover plate 32 is spaced from the base plate 1 and arranged parallelthereto. The cover plate serves as a base for the pattern to be copied.For fixing said pattern a frame 33 is pivotally mounted by means of ahorizontal shaft 34. The frame 33 is pressed against the cover plate 32by means of a spring 35 and is provided on its under side with slippreventing means (not shown in the drawings) consisting of a rubber likematerial of circular cross section inserted in a groove provided onframe33 and protruding therefrom to prevent an undesirable displacementof the pattern to be copied which is to be clamped between the coverplate 32 and the frame 33. Upon the cover plate 32 a graduated guidingrule 36 is provided serving as a stop for thepattern tobe copied andbeing helpful for carrying out definite displacements thereof in step bystep manipulation of the device.

Such a rule 36 is advantageous also when monograms or complete words areto be embroidered by means of stencils having engraved letters side byside. By putting one edge of such a stencil against theruleexact'alignment of the individual letters is ensured even afterdisplacement or interchange of stencils. By a small paralleldisplacement of a stencil along the rule the letter engrayed on thestencil may be embroidered with double outlines (or more than double, ifdesired) whereby the rule ensures an exactly parallel movement. Forthispurpose the rule may have a graduation facilitating definitedisplacements.

Instead of said arrangement of the frame 17 (Figs. 1 and 2) or the frame33 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) respectively an aperture may alternatively beprovided in the base plate 1 (Figs. 1 and 2) or cover plate 32 (Figs. 3,4 and 5) respectively and a clamping device can be arranged to press thepattern to be copied from below against the rim of that aperture.

An arm 38 at one end thereof carrying a tracing pin 39 is pivotallymounted at its other end 38 on the material holder by means of ahorizontal shaft 37 fixed on the material holder and substantiallyfitting within end 38' for forming a hinge connection therewith. In theworking position the arm 38 and the plane of the. material holder 3include an obtuse angle. The illustrated hinge formed at the end 33 ofthe arm is formed by surrounding more than half of circumference of theshaft 37 by the sheet material from which the arm 38 is made. It will benoted from Fig. 3 that the open end 3811 and 38b partially surroundshaft 37 and extend thereabout through an angle greater than Fig. 4illustrates in section the peripheral extent of end 38' about shaft 37.This end 38' of the arm may be made of resilient spring material and isbent according to a radius slightly shorter than the radius of the shaft37 to provide a movable frictional fit between shaft 37 and end 38'.This smaller diameter of end 38 enables the arm to be removable from theshaft as well as to have sufficient gripping efliect so as to remain inany position on the shaft by friction therebetween. The tracing pin 39is provided with a sleeve 40 made of plastic which serves as a handle tomanipulate the pin and thereby guiding the material holder 3. The pointof the tracing pin can be made of plastic, e.g. Teflon, and can beformed and mounted in such a way as to be interchangeable. v

The material holder 3 is also provided with a handle 41 and in alignmenttherewith at the underside of the holder a sliding member is attachedconsisting of a felt disc or a mushroom-shaped body made of nylon andadapted to slide on the base plate 1.

One lateral edge of the base plate 1 is provided with a downwardly bentrim 42 which must not necessarily be extended along the full length ofthe edge. This-rim a sewing-machine thereby holding the copying devicein working position on the sewing-machine. Said rim 42 may be providedwith a recess adapted for receiving the hinge joining the table with thebed plate of the sewingmachine.

The longitudinal edges of the base plate of the copying device also havedownwardly bent rims with'steps which are adapted to fit on differentsewing-machines to be used in connection with the copying device. Therim 43 laying at right hand of the operator when the device is inoperational position is provided with steps and extends only along apart of the length of the base plate 1, as shown in Fig. 4, these stepspreventing the device from shifting on the bed plate of thesewing-machine or on the work arm thereof, while being in intermediatecontact therewith. The other lateral edge of the base plate of thecopying device is provided with a downwardly bent rim 44 serving only tostiffen the baseplate.

At the underside ofthe'base plate 1 of the copying de vice opposite tobase for the pattern to be copied a pair of stays 45 is pivotallymounted." These stays are adapted to be turned to lie on the base platesubstantially parallel thereto when the device is out of use and to beturned in a position substantially rectangular to the base plate 1 andserving as a post of the device when the device is in working positionwith the part of the base plate 1 carrying the material holder 3 fixedto the free work arm of a portable sewing-machine, in which case saidpart of the base plate may be fixed onto the free work arm ofvthemachine by means of connecting members (e.g. a frame, a ribbon or thelike, fixed on the underside of said base plate and embracing at least apart of said work arm of the sewing-machine) not shown in the drawings.The length of the stays is variable ein order to match to sewingmachinesof different sizes.

The device as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 is to be placed on the bed or onthe free work arm respectively of a sewing-machine in such a manner thatthe stitch point of the stitch plate is situated on the aperture 2. Thiscondition of placement can be accomplished easily and definitely if thebed or the free work arm of the sewing.- machine have standard or otherdimensions that fit to the downwardly bent rims 42, 43 or into one ofthe steps of these rims of the base plate 1 of the copying device. Ifthe sewing-machine has a free work arm the part of the base plate 1carrying the material holder 3 is fixed upon this work arm and the stays45 are rotated downwardly and adjusted for the required height. Duringthe embroidering operation the operator manipulates the device with bothhands, guiding the handle 41 on the material holder 3 with its left handand the handle 40 of the tracing pin 39 with its right hand, therebyattaining an improved certainty of guidance as has been proved byexperience with the device described.

The particular formation of one of the lateral edges and one of thelongitudinal edges of the base plate ensures that the line connectingthe middle of the material holder 3 with the point of the guiding pin 39includes a right angle with the longitudinal axis of the sewingmachine.It has been found that such a situation of the device relatively to thesewing-machine facilitates handling thereof and enables an exact tracingof the material holder in accordance with the pattern to be copiedbecause in this case the line connecting the point of embroidering withthe tracing pin is at least nearly in alignment with the direction ofview of the operator.

The arm 38 could be rigidly connected to the material holder 3 and carryan adjustable tracing pin as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The tracing pincould be interchangeable especially in order to be substituted by apencil. A pencil is of advantage when areas of the pattern to beembroidered given in form of a drawing are to be tightly covered withlock-stitch. The procedure is facilitated by using a pencil, as tracingpin the operator covers the correspond- 6 ing area of the drawing withpencil lines. When this area of the p-attem is completely covered withpencil lines the sewing-machine has completely covered the correspondingarea of the material with lockstitch.

In order to save space when the device is out of use the arm 38 carryingthe tracing pin is removable or adapted to be hinged upon a horizontalaxis to reduce the overall vertical dimension of the copying device whenit is not in use. a

The stencils to be used with the device can be made from a sheet ofplastic having one or more grooves or slots representing a path for thetracing pin. Preferably the grooves are made by stamping. Stampedgrooves enable the guiding pin to slide easily due to the smooth facesof such grooves. With these stencils a tracing pin is used comprising aninterchangeable point piece fitting in the grooves and preferably madeof nylon or other suitable plastic. A V-shaped groove was found to beuseful since this cross section ensures an easy sliding of the point ofthe guiding pin even over crossings of grooves.

The use of stencils is advantageous since the operator can direct hisfull attention to the stitching procedure and need not necessarily keepthe pattern to be copied in its visual field. In this Way the velocityof movement of the tracing pin can be brought in accordance with theWorking speed of the sewing-machine without requiring special skill ofthe operator.

A stencil having a groove along the periphery of a narrowrectangle'serves for sewing button-holes. After having sewed along thisperiphery with the sewing-machine the fabric is slitted within saidperiphery thereby completing the button-hole.

Stencils for embroidering letters are provided with an index adapted tobe used in relationship with the graduation of the rule allowingdisplacement of these stencils along definite distances. During adisplacement or an exchange of a stencil or a drawing or pattern to becopied, the tracing pin must be lifted. It is practical when the pin isarranged to be fixed in a raised position or mounted in such a way as toremain in its position after having been raised.

Several individual members of the device may be made of plastic. Whenthe members of the guiding device are made of suitable plastic, e.g.nylon, the movability free from clearance, as it is essential for thepivots of the members of the guiding device, may be obtained by acylindrical bolt fitted in a hole of equilateral triangular crosssection. The bolt may have a diameter slightly greater than-the diameterof the inscribed circle in the triangular hole.

The device may also be provided with a pantograph which may be providedadditionally to or instead of, the guiding device for connecting thebase plate, the material holder and the tracing pin together therebyenabling the use of drawings or stencils representing the pattern to beembroidered on the fabric or other material on a reduced scale.

I claim:

1. A copying device for a sewing-machine adapted for embroidering,comprising a base plate, said base plate having an aperture adapted toform a passage for the sewing-machine needle, a holder for the materialto be embroidered, said material holder being arranged for slidablemovement on said base plate, a guiding device adapted to imparttranslatory movement to said material holder, two sets of lever guidesarranged for transverse movement with respect to each other in a planeparallel to the base plate, said guiding device enclosing the two sets,one of said sets of lever guides being linked to the base plate, anintermediate member guided by said one set, the other set of leverguides being linked to said in-- termediate member and to said materialholder, a tracing member connected with said material holder and adaptedfor manual tracing along lines of a pattern to be copied, a holder for apattern to be copied, said holder including a frame provided with slippreventing means on its underside and being adapted for elasticallypressing said pat tern against said base plate, said base plate :beingprovided with a graduated guide-rule for guiding said pattern.

2. A copying device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a cover plate,said cover plate being spaced from said base plate, and said guidingdevice being at least partially arranged between said base plate andsaid cover plate.

3. A copying device for a sewing-machine adapted for embroidering,comprising a base plate, said base plate having an aperture adapted toform a passage for the sewing-machine needle, a holder for the materialto be embroidered, said material holder being arranged for slidablemovement on said base plate, a guiding device adapted for moving saidmaterial holder parallel to itself, said guiding device including twosets of lever guides arranged for transverse movement relative to eachother in a plane parallel to the base plate, one of said sets of leverguides being linked to fixed points, an intermediate member guided bysaid one set, the other set of lever guides being linked to saidintermediate member and to said material holder, a tracing memberconnected with said material holder and adapted for manual tracing alonglines of a pattern to be copied, a supporting board adapted to support apattern to be copied, said supporting board being spaced from said baseplate and said guiding device being at least partially arranged betweensaid base plate and said supporting board, a holder for said pattern tobe copied, said holder including a frame provided with slip preventingmeans on its underside and being adapted and arranged for elasticallypressing said pattern against said supporting board, said supportingboard being provided with a graduated guide-rule arranged for guidingsaid-pattern.

4. A copying device for a sewing-machine adapted for embroidering,comprising a base plate, a holder for the material to be embroidered, aguiding .device coupling said material holder to said plate, a tracingmember including a tracing pin connected with said material holder,means for displacement of said tracing pin in a substantially verticaldirection, said means including an arm connecting said material holderwith said tracing pin, said armbeing pivotally held on a horizontal axismounted on said material .holder, said arm forming an obtuse angle withthe plane of said material holder in working position.

5. A copying device as claimed in claim 4, comprising fixing means forfixing the position of said arm relative to said material holder in anyposition within at least part of its range of pivotal movement byfriction.

59,693 -Holland Feb. 15, 1947

